Improvement in cotton-presses



S. H. GILMAN.

COTTON-PRESS.

Patented May' 30,1876.

IIIHI UNITEDSTTATE'S PATENTOFFIGE.

` l, snnuiin HGILMAN, onfnnwl ORLEANS, toUrsIANA. i

y :1MPRovMENTfIsperren-PRESSES;

` Specication forming part of `Letters Patent No; 1"7;S.,1"39`, datedMay 30, 1876; applieation filed To all whom` tmay concern: i.

' L Beit knqwn that I, sxMULlH, GILMAN, eff

New Orleans, in the county of Orleans and State of Louisiana,` have invented new 4and useful Improvements in Cotton-Presses and Y I do hereby declarelthatflthe 1follow-ing isfa l full, clear, andexact description ,thereot', refl erence being had lto theaccompanying Vdraw-1 ings, forming part of f this specification,inl

` Which-l- Figure is a topyiewrof my improved cot'-l tonfpress.. Fig.` 2 is a I side.elevation`,and partialsectionofthesame" Fig; 3 is arear-end elevation and partial section of the same,with a` portion of, the main `frame broken away.

` Fi g, et `is a vertical central seetionof thesteamchest, showingthe valves and tripfor operating ,thesame Figslis a vertical `transverse section of one of `thereversing-cylinders and l lconnections" thereof. isa detail `seetional view, 'showin g another Way of operating the rack and sectors of `the press.

This invention relates y part` icularly "to `that f class of cumulative power presses lnown` as `the Tyler, or `other presses of l similar cone and the lower platen orfQohannel-plate of the` press'beingyattached `towthe said sectors ,by lifting rods or levers, while the upper channelplate fformsthelmain bed-plate `and supports the mainQcylinder.,im` v i y y The nature fot' my invent-ion consists, first,

in the combination of areversing steam cyl inder or cylinders with a compressing steam- Jcylinder, and a press `adapted for pressing cotton and'like substances,`rwhereby" the rei turn ofthe rack and -se'etors to `their normall position', assoon as the pressing isperformed `and the steam-pressure withdrawn from the pressing-piston, is eected by steam-pressure brought to bear direotlyupon either the sectors or the rack.` It consists, second, in an arrangement of valves whereby-the exhaust-` steam from the compressing-cylinder is used for Working the cylinder or cylinders which reverse the movement of the rack and sectors.

To enable others skilled in the art to un- May tim-` derstand4 my inventioml will proceed to `de-l scribe-a,

vided with a rack, by', on its upper` end. `C C' are toothed sectors, pivoted at c to the hangers l Ohattached to the upper portion ot'athe frame ofthe press. These sectors engagewith the ,lraek b' of the pistonfB, and .serve to raise and' lower the rack and' operation ofthe press.` l l l "l i D D `are lifting rods o`r ,leversfpivotedat their upper ends to the sectors, and at,tlieirl `lower endsgto the lowerplaten or channel-plate A02,. by which .the 'saidQlow'enpllaten or plate "C2 is brought to bear against the substance `to pisten during` the l l `jbe pressed, which isbetween it and theupper l `platen (l3 `Whenthe sectors are moved back to l their fullest extent `and the piston .and ,rack` .raised` F F are auxiliary steam-cylinders ein-l iployled forreversiiigthe movement of the main piston B,litsra`ck, andthe sectorsl of the press."` fEach of these cylinders is constructed with a` ipisto`n,Gr,` and piston-rod H, `which latter are:` "about4 double the length of"` thecylinders, and work through both "endsthereof.` On the ends ofthe saidpiston-rods, next to the seetors`,"fric tion-rollers g are provided, which bear against the `plain backsoffthe sectors, and, by the ac` tionof steam on the pistons G G, cause these gsectors'to return the rae-k and main piston B to their original starting position. site ends of the piston-rods H caps are profV `vided to prevent the striking offthe .pistons against the heads ofthe cylinders. The said i auxiliary cylinders areprovided with exhaustpipes h, whereby the 4steam is permitted to` pass out when the piston G and its connections are fully reversed. `M is a steam-chest, of suitable size and form, constructed `with valvechambers m m1 m2, passages n n1 n2,`and valves p p1 p2, for closing the said passages between the valve-chambers. "The supplyvalve cham berm is provided with an inletlport, @through` j which steam is-admitted to the main cylinder from the main supply-pipe N, leading from the On the oppoboiler. d The exhaust-valve chamber m1 isfalso provided with an outlet-port, q,through which vthe exhaust-steam from the main cylinder passes, to enter the auxiliary exhaust-pipes, for 'moving the pistons of the reversingcyhnders; and the' exhaust-passage of the exhaustvalve chamber 'm2 receives the remaining exhaust-steam from the main cylinder, and discharges it' through a mainexhaust-pipe, P,

after the press has been reversed. The valves p p11# have long stems, which pass through the bottom of the steam-chest, inorder to be Voperated separately by a trip or tappet lever,

The tappetdever is made long enough on oneV en'd, and has theV requisite range of movement,

for raising thek valve p2 and allowing thesurplus steam to escape after the valve 101A has been raised. 'The connection ofthe auxiliary steam-cylinders F F with the steam-chest and the main cylinder ofthe press is effected by means of branch exhaust-pipes' I I, 4as shown. The said branch exhaust-pipeseonneet with a union valve-chambenK, 'which is on top of the steamchest, and the said union-4 chamber is provided with a check-valve, k, by.` which the exhaust-steam from the `main cylinder, after entering the branch exhaust-l pipes, is prevented from owin'g back. l

The ,steam-power for reversing the motion 'ot' the rack and sectors would be the same in its effect if applied to the top ot" the'rack, as in Fig. 6, instead of to the bacl'rs'ofy the sectors, and .in such case one large cylinder, similar to one ot those F, mightA answer, instead of the two cylinders F F. v

It will be seenl that by my invention Iam enabled, with the use of steam power, toreversethe upward movement of' the sectors, rack, and piston of al Tyler or-other similarlyoperating cotton-press, and force them inward vand downward much quicker than their own proper weight will cause them'to'd'o, after they have arrived at their greatest upwardlimit ofmovement and the steam-pressure under the piston relieved, and that the steam -pressure for this purpose is obtained by` exhaustin part the steam from the main cylinder in to the auxiliary cylinders. y f n Operation: The press having been placed in a working position, with the piston, rack,'and sectors down, steam is admittedfrom the steamchest Mint-o Vthe main cylinder A by raising the tappet-lever R, thereby operating the valve p, and permitting the steam'to pass through the' Vinlet-port q in the supply-valve chamber mtc the main cylinder A, thus causing the piston, rack, and sectors, with the lower platen or block C2, which' carries the substance to be pressed, to rise toward the .stationary platen `Gf? and perform the pressing operation. y

To reverse the movement of the pressthe tappet-lever Risdepressed, andthe valves p" in the exhaust 'valve" chamber 'm1 thereby raisedyand the exhaust-steamgfrom the main cylinder A permitted to pass 'into' the union valve chamber K, fromxwhence it passes, by

lraising the checkLvalve" k'from its seat,vint0v the exhaust'branch pipes II-and'cylinders F F, thus causing the press tolbe reversedready for another operation-the exh aust-steam from these cylinders F F passing out aty lb h.

When'thenpress is againoperated lthey-pistons o t 'the cylinders FiF willvbe.movedy back to their original positiony by thesectors .bearing againstr the friction-rollersottheirrods. n

By my invention ity willv be perceived thata greater `range of'fupward .movement of thel main piston,` rack, and sectors is made available thanis practicablezin pressesreverscd-fin the'ordinary"way-vz., by theirweight. l

Iv4 do not 'claim one or twosteauncylinders for producing the pressing operationin cottonpresses; but,

Having ,described `myinvention, lwhat I claim, and desirel to secure ,by Letters Fatemi,

1. A- supplementalk cylinder or cylinders so located that the pistonv or pistons ',thereof, actuated'b'y` steamlor any'other power, may movev the 'sectors andzra'ck ef'the press inreversing the movement'of theffollower, substantially asdescribed. l .v j y 2. The arrangement of the valves p1, p2, and 7c,by whichthe escape-steam isusedy to .work the 'supplemental` cylinderv or cylinders 'F F, substantially as described. l Y SAMUEL ll'GlhMAN.

Witnesses:A 1* W. A. S. WHEELER, CHAs. J. LEwIs. l 

